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Adventure Begins...Sailing S/V ORCA From California to Alaska.....
- Thread starter Spinner1
- Start date
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- Jan 3, 2009
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Re: Sailing S/V ORCA to Alaska...What Ever It Takes.......
Okay, about yesterday's trip. We hoisted anchor at 10:24 am. It was beautiful to watch the Golden Gate Bridge get closer and closer. It was a silent moment when we passed under it and left her behind.
It was interesting how the winds, swells and waves started picking up. ORCA felt good and sturdy under us.
We motored all the way to Bodega Bay. The main sail was up, -double reefed for stabilization. We kept about 3 to 5 miles out from shore.
We passed dozens and dozens of crab pot buoys on the way. Most of them had been abandoned by irresponsible fishermen.
About mid-trip the seas had grown to 8 to 10 feet. The wind blew at about 15 to 20 knots.
In addition to myself, Kalevala, Matt and Johann were on deck. Alida never made it up to the deck.
Two of the crew members fed the fish multiple times. I could not but laugh as the macho men leaned over the PoopDeck and gave out all they got. Everyone had good humour about it and we laughed and cracked jokes. I started to sing a few words of some ancient tune called "Macho, Macho Men" and was encountered by a sheepish "I don't feel too macho right now".
Then I heard Alida feed a bucket in the salon below and behind me. Poor dears....it was not fun for them....Kalevala and I were fine.
The ten foot seas were interesting. Some of the waves crashed over the bow with violence. The seas were breaking over the bow and they travelled the length of the boat and hit me on the back and the head. (I was sitting with my back to the salon doors).
When we finally set anchor in Bodega bay, it was 19:45.
I was aghast when I saw the salon and V-berth. EVERYTHING was thrown on the floor. Everything in V-berth was soaking wet...especially the berth, blankets and clothes. The berth was the worst. It was not just wet, it had pools of water on it, spreading through the berth.
We started a fire in our little woodburning stove and the salon warmed up on no time. We pealed off the soaking wet clothes. I had worn black driving gloves which were totally soaked. My right hand was colored black from the soaked glove. It still is black today.
We made a simple dinner. I chopped an onion and bunch of NitrateFree Oscar Meyer wieners. Made macaroni and cheeese and as simple and junky as the food was, -it was warm and filling.
Then I tried to pick up as much water as possible from the v-berth and laid black plastic garbage bags on it and put a sleeping on it and crawled into it.
Kalevala stood on anchor watch. The foghorn blew all night. Sometime during the night husband crawled into bed with me.
I don't know what happens today but I know Kalrvala will do an oil change. The Beta has 50 hours on it now....I'd like to find a laundrymats and wask ALL clothes and bedding on board. It's all soaking wet with salt water.
Will post more later.
PS. everything got soaked because ORCA has sat for years so she had dried planks. They are all wet and swollen now.
Okay, about yesterday's trip. We hoisted anchor at 10:24 am. It was beautiful to watch the Golden Gate Bridge get closer and closer. It was a silent moment when we passed under it and left her behind.
It was interesting how the winds, swells and waves started picking up. ORCA felt good and sturdy under us.
We motored all the way to Bodega Bay. The main sail was up, -double reefed for stabilization. We kept about 3 to 5 miles out from shore.
We passed dozens and dozens of crab pot buoys on the way. Most of them had been abandoned by irresponsible fishermen.
About mid-trip the seas had grown to 8 to 10 feet. The wind blew at about 15 to 20 knots.
In addition to myself, Kalevala, Matt and Johann were on deck. Alida never made it up to the deck.
Two of the crew members fed the fish multiple times. I could not but laugh as the macho men leaned over the PoopDeck and gave out all they got. Everyone had good humour about it and we laughed and cracked jokes. I started to sing a few words of some ancient tune called "Macho, Macho Men" and was encountered by a sheepish "I don't feel too macho right now".
Then I heard Alida feed a bucket in the salon below and behind me. Poor dears....it was not fun for them....Kalevala and I were fine.
The ten foot seas were interesting. Some of the waves crashed over the bow with violence. The seas were breaking over the bow and they travelled the length of the boat and hit me on the back and the head. (I was sitting with my back to the salon doors).
When we finally set anchor in Bodega bay, it was 19:45.
I was aghast when I saw the salon and V-berth. EVERYTHING was thrown on the floor. Everything in V-berth was soaking wet...especially the berth, blankets and clothes. The berth was the worst. It was not just wet, it had pools of water on it, spreading through the berth.
We started a fire in our little woodburning stove and the salon warmed up on no time. We pealed off the soaking wet clothes. I had worn black driving gloves which were totally soaked. My right hand was colored black from the soaked glove. It still is black today.
We made a simple dinner. I chopped an onion and bunch of NitrateFree Oscar Meyer wieners. Made macaroni and cheeese and as simple and junky as the food was, -it was warm and filling.
Then I tried to pick up as much water as possible from the v-berth and laid black plastic garbage bags on it and put a sleeping on it and crawled into it.
Kalevala stood on anchor watch. The foghorn blew all night. Sometime during the night husband crawled into bed with me.
I don't know what happens today but I know Kalrvala will do an oil change. The Beta has 50 hours on it now....I'd like to find a laundrymats and wask ALL clothes and bedding on board. It's all soaking wet with salt water.
Will post more later.
PS. everything got soaked because ORCA has sat for years so she had dried planks. They are all wet and swollen now.
- Joined
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Lol...that's funny. You made me laugh. Thanks for the good wishes.
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2009
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- 592
Thanks Suz...
I'll post a photo as soon as I can get computer access and time. I'm posting this from my iPhone.
I sent a photo to the harbor master with a note about what happened. She's going through all the screws on their docks and making sure none protrudes.
- Joined
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Yes and yes...lol....
- Joined
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Thank you for your prayers. They are much appreciated.
Here is a partial update.
We've been in Bodega Bay most of this time. The winds have been so heavy that even the local fishermen have stayed in the harbor waiting for the weather to change.
We have talked with many of them to get local knowledge.
There has been a major change in plans. Because the dangers of the Cape Mendocino. (CHECK THE UNDERWATER CANYONS and how close to the shore they extend, on GOOGLE EARTH and you will see why the ocean is so dangerous in that area) *-Well, because of the potential stacking up of the waves, the quickly changing wind velocities to gale conditions, the weight and amount of things we have on board ORCA, I and Alida are taking the truck and driving to EUREKA, California, with all excess weight, gear and things off from ORCA. We might have to be off board until Port Towndsend, Washington.
We have removed about thousand (1000) pounds into my truck and that does not include the weight of us two women.
I VOLUNTEERED to do this because I thought it would be the greatest good for ORCA and the three men onboard.
Even knowing that my decision was the right one for the safety of the boat, it's strange how I fell heavy in my heart because I'm not on board this whole trip on her....they are mixed feelings...
Now, us girls do have an "important" job to do as I'm driving my truck into the small ports on ORCA's way. I'll be arriving to them before ORCA and talking to harbor masters and arranging for a mooring buoy, finding out where diesel is available, etc.
THIS WAS THE NEWS ABOUT A WEEK AGO. WILL UPDATE CURRENT NEWS SHORTLY.
.
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I'm following you guys and you're all in our thoughts & prayers here too. Sorry we couldn't get with you guys while you were all down here.
thx - cpr
Thanks for the good thoughts and prayers. They are appreciated.
We might still have an opportunity to meet and for you to visit S/V ORCA.
More info to follow.....
Unfortunately my computer has something wrong with it, maybe a bug of some kind as it gets a black screen and shuts off by itself all the time.......especially when I run full/thorough virus scan..... I have some interesting photos to post but can't post them from this iPhone.
Will post next part today.
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You guys have no idea how jealous I am of your trip. I'm stuck in the sand box and my boat's on the hard.....Eat a carribou for me when you get up there. Must be nice to be cold.....
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You guys have no idea how jealous I am of your trip. I'm stuck in the sand box and my boat's on the hard.....Eat a carribou for me when you get up there. Must be nice to be cold.....
.....and WET too....lol....
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Sorry to have taken this long to get back here. Much has happened.
Here is an update I was writing you a week or two
ago.
About 11am on Saturday, June 26th, ORCA and the three men on board left Bodega Bay and headed North to Point Arena Cove.
We ladies travelled there with my truck. We got there at about 16:00-17:00. We got out of the truck and I headed to the long, tall pier to talk to a man operating a "lift" with a small boat on it. After he got the boat on it's trailer, we talked.
I told him that we had a 38' wooden sailboat coming into the cove and asked him about the mooring buoys.
He kind of barked a chuckle and told me there were no mooring buoys available as they were privately owned by different fishermen.
Then he said that most of them were in poor condition and might most likely not hold. He did point out a couple of good mooring buoys and told me that he could not give us permission to tie to them as they were not his.
He wondered why we wanted to bring such a "big" boat to Arena Cove. He told me there was no real shelter from *winds and the waves, and that there were reefs on both sides of the narrow entry. This made navigation into the area dangerous.
As he talked, I looked at the seas on both sides of the high pier and admired the huge and dangerous floating kelp beds. I had never seen anything like them. The kelp was beautiful. It looked like a large group of aliens with their roundish floating "heads" and long flowing "arms". It was a sight to behold as they *undulated, flowed and moved on their place. They moved, -yet they stayed where they were....
As I admired the kelp beds I heard him ask -how good of sailors was the crew. He elaborated that if ORCA was coming in and the crew tried to hook into a mooring buoy and missed it and then tried to turn to port side to turn around, ORCA would end up fast on a reef nearby. *The manuvering had to be extremely tight and very precise or ORCA would be in trouble. On the starboard side was a couple of old mooring buoys and they would hamper the tight turn to that direction. There was no going forward either, once you were past the first two sets of buoys.
Here is an update I was writing you a week or two
ago. About 11am on Saturday, June 26th, ORCA and the three men on board left Bodega Bay and headed North to Point Arena Cove.
We ladies travelled there with my truck. We got there at about 16:00-17:00. We got out of the truck and I headed to the long, tall pier to talk to a man operating a "lift" with a small boat on it. After he got the boat on it's trailer, we talked.
I told him that we had a 38' wooden sailboat coming into the cove and asked him about the mooring buoys.
He kind of barked a chuckle and told me there were no mooring buoys available as they were privately owned by different fishermen.
Then he said that most of them were in poor condition and might most likely not hold. He did point out a couple of good mooring buoys and told me that he could not give us permission to tie to them as they were not his.
He wondered why we wanted to bring such a "big" boat to Arena Cove. He told me there was no real shelter from *winds and the waves, and that there were reefs on both sides of the narrow entry. This made navigation into the area dangerous.
As he talked, I looked at the seas on both sides of the high pier and admired the huge and dangerous floating kelp beds. I had never seen anything like them. The kelp was beautiful. It looked like a large group of aliens with their roundish floating "heads" and long flowing "arms". It was a sight to behold as they *undulated, flowed and moved on their place. They moved, -yet they stayed where they were....
As I admired the kelp beds I heard him ask -how good of sailors was the crew. He elaborated that if ORCA was coming in and the crew tried to hook into a mooring buoy and missed it and then tried to turn to port side to turn around, ORCA would end up fast on a reef nearby. *The manuvering had to be extremely tight and very precise or ORCA would be in trouble. On the starboard side was a couple of old mooring buoys and they would hamper the tight turn to that direction. There was no going forward either, once you were past the first two sets of buoys.
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Well, well.... ORCA made it to Fish Rocks, about 10 miles from Arena Cove.
The seas were 14 ft every eight seconds. Winds blowing at 35 knots with gusts upto 40 knots. Occasional larger rogue waves hit them on the face. They were eating, drinking, breathing and dressed in salt water. The waves were coming over the bow from stem to stern.
I got a phone call at about 21:00 telling that ORCA had set anchor near Fish Rocks. I drove to a camp ground by the Fish Rocks and saw Matt on shore. He told us, the boat was soaked inside-out...she had proven herself.... The men were cold and hungry.
They spent the night there. The weather was so bad and the forecast for the following week was more of the same.
The next morning ORCA headed back to Bodega Bay harbour.
.
The seas were 14 ft every eight seconds. Winds blowing at 35 knots with gusts upto 40 knots. Occasional larger rogue waves hit them on the face. They were eating, drinking, breathing and dressed in salt water. The waves were coming over the bow from stem to stern.
I got a phone call at about 21:00 telling that ORCA had set anchor near Fish Rocks. I drove to a camp ground by the Fish Rocks and saw Matt on shore. He told us, the boat was soaked inside-out...she had proven herself.... The men were cold and hungry.
They spent the night there. The weather was so bad and the forecast for the following week was more of the same.
The next morning ORCA headed back to Bodega Bay harbour.
.
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We were stuck in Bodega Bay, Spud Point Harbour for ten days all together. No boats ventured to the sea. Fishermen had a four day salmon opening and no-one went fishing. The gale blew untill July 5th when it started to lay down. On the sixth ORCA headed back to Sausalito and by the evening she was back at Pelican Harbour.....
.
Bodega Bay had great fireworks on Saturday the 3rd. We had met a man named Joe, who had a fishing boat across from us. He was an old friend of a couple whom we know in our home town. I've known them for decades.
Joe is a nice person and we really hit it off well. We ended up having a pot luck and rum for all....LOL... We brought a huge pot of brown rice made with mushrooms, Alfredo sauce and seasoning to go along with the prawns that Joe made. We also brought rum and I had my bottle of Amarula liquer on hand.
The evening was nice, the company good....
.
Bodega Bay had great fireworks on Saturday the 3rd. We had met a man named Joe, who had a fishing boat across from us. He was an old friend of a couple whom we know in our home town. I've known them for decades.
Joe is a nice person and we really hit it off well. We ended up having a pot luck and rum for all....LOL... We brought a huge pot of brown rice made with mushrooms, Alfredo sauce and seasoning to go along with the prawns that Joe made. We also brought rum and I had my bottle of Amarula liquer on hand.
The evening was nice, the company good....
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We are back to the starting gate at Pelican Harbour in Sausalito. I've contacted several boat transporters to get ORCA put on a truck and transported into Bellingham Washington.
We picked "Piazza" boat movers.
Today sometime, ORCA will be motored to KKMI in Point Richmond (SF bay area). Tomorrow the masts will be unstepped and Kalevala and Johann will wrap them etc., for transport. (Alida is back in Alaska. She left on the 7th to spend some time with her daughter this summer.)
Monday evening Piazza transporters will arrive to KKMI and Tuesday morning ORCA will be lifted on to the transport "trailer".
We should have her in Bellingham by Thursday the 15th. I will drive the men there with my truck and I'll have to find a place to store my truck somewhere, -maybe in Seattle area untill I get back to pick it up.
We will take her North on the water from there.
We picked "Piazza" boat movers.
Today sometime, ORCA will be motored to KKMI in Point Richmond (SF bay area). Tomorrow the masts will be unstepped and Kalevala and Johann will wrap them etc., for transport. (Alida is back in Alaska. She left on the 7th to spend some time with her daughter this summer.)
Monday evening Piazza transporters will arrive to KKMI and Tuesday morning ORCA will be lifted on to the transport "trailer".
We should have her in Bellingham by Thursday the 15th. I will drive the men there with my truck and I'll have to find a place to store my truck somewhere, -maybe in Seattle area untill I get back to pick it up.
We will take her North on the water from there.